Forgotten Exercises: Zottman Curls

Looking for a new arm exercise? Of course you are, who isn’t?

Following our discussion of the see-saw shoulder press last week, we thought it was time to examine another forgotten exercise, the Zottman Curl. Named after 19th century strongman George Zottman, the Zottman curl is a fantastic way of stressing the biceps, brachialis muscles, and forearm supinators.

So what are Zottman Curls and how do I perform one?

Although a rare sight in gymnasiums nowadays, Zottman Curls are a fantastic way to develop your forearms and biceps. To execute the perfect curl

Position yourself as you would normally for a standard biceps curl i.e. dumbbells at your sides, elbows close to your torso and palms facing forward

Conor Heffernan

Conor is currently researching Ireland's physical culture movement as a PhD student at University College Dublin. When not in the library or the gym, he likes to try his hand at writing....with mixed results.

It’s remarkable to contrast how Vince and Rich Piana do the exact same curls. Vince’s is much more fluid and there is something reminiscent of a martial art in it.

I can’t think of any off hand except maybe continuous squatting which has always had something of a mystical quality about it for me! Old videos of Tom Platz doing high reps with loaded bars have always fascinated me!